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#1
Posted to rec.audio.car
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OK, let me try to get something started....
This group has turned into a ghost-town but I know there are those like
myself who come here from time to time to see if anyone's posted anything. This is my favorite hobby (car audio) and I love to talk about it, so in the desperate attempt to start SOME kind of discourse let me throw out a question: IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT CAR AUDIO TECHNOLOGY HAS ADVANCED THE MOST IN THE LAST 10-15 YEARS? Perhaps this is a cop-out answer, but IMHO, I would say it's a tie between head-units and speakers. First, the reason I say HU is because today's HU's can do SO MUCH MORE than their older couterparts. There was a day when you needed a HU, an outboard X-over, an outboard EQ and other outboard DSP or other such processors like BBE or noise-gates. Today, ALL of those functions can be found on the modern HU. Add to that the fact that today's HU's can play MP3's on a burned CD or even DVD, AND they generally all sound fantastic! Many new units now have SD card slots or USB interfaces. ON TOP OF THAT, the displays on modern HU's have become much more advanced utilizing the best imaging technogies like LCD, ect. This makes for a display that can "display" more information as well as frankly looking cooler. But again, for me, the biggest improvement is the fact that today's HU can basically do-it-all, something I vividly recall wishing they could do many years ago. And then speaker technology advances. EVERY TIME I'm in my car and listen to my system I am utterely impressed at the SQ and in particular, the incredible amount of midbass I get out of my Alpine Class R 6.5" midbass speaks. I have owned several top-of-the-line 6.5" speperates over the years from companies including BA, JL and MB Quart. None of those could produce the quantity of midbass I get from my newer Alpine's. I have NO DOUBT that this is largely due to technology spill-over from the REMARKABLE improvements in subwoofer technology. Newer cone materials, larger formers and magnets, improved spider and surround materials, have helped produce subwoofers with AMAZING Xmax and yet still sound great and don't break the bank. The same can be said for all other types of speakers. It is frankly amazing how little you have to spend anymore for a good set of subwoofers OR seperates or even coaxials. Anyway, I enjoy this technology improvement EVERY TIME I drive my car so I really have to put speaker technology improvements right up there with HU technology improvments. I mean, if HU's were still the same as they were 15 years ago I could certainly go out and buy outboard X-overs and EQ's, but when you have just a 6.5" hole in your door, you're a little stuck. So although it would be easy to state that the HU has progressed the most in terms of technology, from the perspective of what has changed the SOUND of my system the most, it most definately has been improvements in speakers. That's my $.02. I would really like to hear other opinions or comments about what I have said. Anything to get a discusion going... Take care all, MOSFET |
#2
Posted to rec.audio.car
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OK, let me try to get something started....
You're right - that was a cop-out answer. ;-)
I'll be far more specific. I'm going to say the circuitry and peripherals within the head unit are what's improved the most. There used to be a damn good reason to want to build a PC to put in my car. Not so much any more. The deck I've been drooling over recently (http://www.crutchfield.com/p_105KDAV...KD-AVX44.html? tp=20217) does everything that I would build a PC for, costs about the same, and I don't have to do a damn thing to program or build it. CDs - yes CDRs - yes CDRW - you betcha DVDs - yup DVDRW - you got it PreAmped outputs? - 6 (FL, FR, RL, RR, SubL and SubR) at 5 volts... GUI - 3.5 inch full color screen EQ - 7 BAND! AUX In - iPod, USB, AND 1 A/V... Oh yeah - BUILT IN BLUETOOTH!!!!! You couldn't * COULD NOT * get these features for under $1500 in a head unit two years ago, and even then most of the options were units that plugged into the actual head unit. This beauty is one piece that fits into a standard DIN slot for $500 (probably less if you went online bargain hunting)... Can I get a "Holy ****"?! I priced out a basic build for a PC that could handle all of this and JUST THE PARTS cost around the same amount - this is to say nothing of the research that would go into all this, and the extra battery I would probably want to hook up. Not to mention the things I would have to do to either augment an operating system or write one... Admittedly, this would bring my two hobbies together - and I would probably have the greatest time of my life putting a PC in my car; but that's part of what kills me. I can't really justify (to myself or my wife) spending ungodly amounts of time and personal resources on building something when I can buy it for the same price ready to go... Damn New-Fangled Technology, ~Mister.Lull On May 20, 4:29*pm, "MOSFET" wrote: This group has turned into a ghost-town but I know there are those like myself who come here from time to time to see if anyone's posted anything.. This is my favorite hobby (car audio) and I love to talk about it, so in the desperate attempt to start SOME kind of discourse let me throw out a question: IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT CAR AUDIO TECHNOLOGY HAS ADVANCED THE MOST IN THE LAST 10-15 YEARS? Perhaps this is a cop-out answer, but IMHO, I would say it's a tie between head-units and speakers. First, the reason I say HU is because today's HU's can do SO MUCH MORE than their older couterparts. *There was a day when you needed a HU, an outboard X-over, an outboard EQ and other outboard DSP or other such processors like BBE or noise-gates. *Today, ALL of those functions can be found on the modern HU. *Add to that the fact that today's HU's can play MP3's on a burned CD or even DVD, AND they generally all sound fantastic! *Many new units now have SD card slots or USB interfaces. *ON TOP OF THAT, the displays on modern HU's have become much more advanced utilizing the best imaging technogies like LCD, ect. *This makes for a display that can "display" more information as well as frankly looking cooler. *But again, for me, the biggest improvement is the fact that today's HU can basically do-it-all, something I vividly recall wishing they could do many years ago. And then speaker technology advances. *EVERY TIME I'm in my car and listen to my system I am utterely impressed at the SQ and in particular, the incredible amount of midbass I get out of my Alpine Class R 6.5" midbass speaks. *I have owned several top-of-the-line 6.5" speperates over the years from companies including BA, JL and MB Quart. *None of those could produce the quantity of midbass I get from my newer Alpine's. *I have NO DOUBT that this is largely due to technology spill-over from the REMARKABLE improvements in subwoofer technology. *Newer cone materials, larger formers and magnets, improved spider and surround materials, have helped produce subwoofers with AMAZING Xmax and yet still sound great and don't break the bank. *The same can be said for all other types of speakers. *It is frankly amazing how little you have to spend anymore for a good set of subwoofers OR seperates or even coaxials. Anyway, I enjoy this technology improvement EVERY TIME I drive my car so I really have to put speaker technology improvements right up there with HU technology improvments. *I mean, if HU's were still the same as they were 15 years ago I could certainly go out and buy outboard X-overs and EQ's, but when you have just a 6.5" hole in your door, you're a little stuck. *So although it would be easy to state that the HU has progressed the most in terms of technology, from the perspective of what has changed the SOUND of my system the most, it most definately has been improvements in speakers. That's my $.02. *I would really like to hear other opinions or comments about what I have said. *Anything to get a discusion going... Take care all, MOSFET |
#3
Posted to rec.audio.car
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OK, let me try to get something started....
Yes, that is a much more specific answer and you certainly make a good
argument for advances in HU technology being the most significant as they are approaching the capabilities of computers. I know you were talking about integrating a computer into your system some time ago. I've considered doing that myself (with power inverters, ect.) as I have an older P4 just sitting around. But as my Sansa and DVD player with 9" screen is already integrated into my Alpine, I realized I already had all the capability I could want and the addition of the computer would be more just an excercise in "doing it because I can do it" rather than something I would really benefit from. For instance, in 1998 I put a Hi-Fi VHS player and DVD player in my car, but I had to tear this DVD player apart (it was designed for home use) so I could mount the remote control "eye" in my dash and of course I had to get a 12 volt to 120 volt power inverter. Now I actually used the DVD player all the time as I burned MP3's onto DVD's and it was really nice for the VERY FIRST TIME (now it is common) to see a long list of titles on the 5.4" screen I had mounted to my dash. But I never ONCE used the VHS player, except to initially test it (I still have it in my garage today, IT was actually designed for automotive use and was where I got the LCD monitor, it came as a kit). Also I had a toggle switch I mounted on my dash to toggle between VHS and DVD that again never saw any use. The point is that I went through all that hassle just because I COULD do it, though I never played a single VHS tape in my car. So I know the temptation of doing something and having something no one else will have (it was very cool back in '98 showing people music videos playing over my LCD monitor and car stereo). But you are exactly right, today's HU's have become much like computers with USB ports, SD card slots, hard drives, video capability, DVD capability, ect. And I would have to agree that the HU HAS advanced the most in terms of differences between their older couterparts. The ONLY reason I included speakers was because, when I thought about it, there are two questions that can be derrived from my initial question: A) what component has changed the most in the last 10 years, obviously the answer is the HU and B) what component has improved sound quality the most in the last 10 years, there IMHO, you would have to give the nod to speakers. So my cop-out answer was really due to the fact I didn't make the question specific enough, or I was really answering two different questions, whereas you were rightly answering one. Take care, Nick "Mister.Lull" wrote in message ... You're right - that was a cop-out answer. ;-) I'll be far more specific. I'm going to say the circuitry and peripherals within the head unit are what's improved the most. There used to be a damn good reason to want to build a PC to put in my car. Not so much any more. The deck I've been drooling over recently (http://www.crutchfield.com/p_105KDAV...KD-AVX44.html? tp=20217) does everything that I would build a PC for, costs about the same, and I don't have to do a damn thing to program or build it. CDs - yes CDRs - yes CDRW - you betcha DVDs - yup DVDRW - you got it PreAmped outputs? - 6 (FL, FR, RL, RR, SubL and SubR) at 5 volts... GUI - 3.5 inch full color screen EQ - 7 BAND! AUX In - iPod, USB, AND 1 A/V... Oh yeah - BUILT IN BLUETOOTH!!!!! You couldn't * COULD NOT * get these features for under $1500 in a head unit two years ago, and even then most of the options were units that plugged into the actual head unit. This beauty is one piece that fits into a standard DIN slot for $500 (probably less if you went online bargain hunting)... Can I get a "Holy ****"?! I priced out a basic build for a PC that could handle all of this and JUST THE PARTS cost around the same amount - this is to say nothing of the research that would go into all this, and the extra battery I would probably want to hook up. Not to mention the things I would have to do to either augment an operating system or write one... Admittedly, this would bring my two hobbies together - and I would probably have the greatest time of my life putting a PC in my car; but that's part of what kills me. I can't really justify (to myself or my wife) spending ungodly amounts of time and personal resources on building something when I can buy it for the same price ready to go... Damn New-Fangled Technology, ~Mister.Lull On May 20, 4:29 pm, "MOSFET" wrote: This group has turned into a ghost-town but I know there are those like myself who come here from time to time to see if anyone's posted anything. This is my favorite hobby (car audio) and I love to talk about it, so in the desperate attempt to start SOME kind of discourse let me throw out a question: IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT CAR AUDIO TECHNOLOGY HAS ADVANCED THE MOST IN THE LAST 10-15 YEARS? Perhaps this is a cop-out answer, but IMHO, I would say it's a tie between head-units and speakers. First, the reason I say HU is because today's HU's can do SO MUCH MORE than their older couterparts. There was a day when you needed a HU, an outboard X-over, an outboard EQ and other outboard DSP or other such processors like BBE or noise-gates. Today, ALL of those functions can be found on the modern HU. Add to that the fact that today's HU's can play MP3's on a burned CD or even DVD, AND they generally all sound fantastic! Many new units now have SD card slots or USB interfaces. ON TOP OF THAT, the displays on modern HU's have become much more advanced utilizing the best imaging technogies like LCD, ect. This makes for a display that can "display" more information as well as frankly looking cooler. But again, for me, the biggest improvement is the fact that today's HU can basically do-it-all, something I vividly recall wishing they could do many years ago. And then speaker technology advances. EVERY TIME I'm in my car and listen to my system I am utterely impressed at the SQ and in particular, the incredible amount of midbass I get out of my Alpine Class R 6.5" midbass speaks. I have owned several top-of-the-line 6.5" speperates over the years from companies including BA, JL and MB Quart. None of those could produce the quantity of midbass I get from my newer Alpine's. I have NO DOUBT that this is largely due to technology spill-over from the REMARKABLE improvements in subwoofer technology. Newer cone materials, larger formers and magnets, improved spider and surround materials, have helped produce subwoofers with AMAZING Xmax and yet still sound great and don't break the bank. The same can be said for all other types of speakers. It is frankly amazing how little you have to spend anymore for a good set of subwoofers OR seperates or even coaxials. Anyway, I enjoy this technology improvement EVERY TIME I drive my car so I really have to put speaker technology improvements right up there with HU technology improvments. I mean, if HU's were still the same as they were 15 years ago I could certainly go out and buy outboard X-overs and EQ's, but when you have just a 6.5" hole in your door, you're a little stuck. So although it would be easy to state that the HU has progressed the most in terms of technology, from the perspective of what has changed the SOUND of my system the most, it most definately has been improvements in speakers. That's my $.02. I would really like to hear other opinions or comments about what I have said. Anything to get a discusion going... Take care all, MOSFET |
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